


bees don't buzz during an eclipse

by Cube_ (CubeWatermelon)



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Haruno Sakura, Crack Treated Seriously, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Mokuton User Haruno Sakura, POV Haruno Sakura, She deserves it!!!, Summoner Haruno Sakura, Team as Family, You damn bet your ass I'm going to make my girl strong as hell, i live a sexy life where naruto is good and its all in my brain :), no beta we die like men, still know the minimum about nart so soz for any mistakes, we'll get there kicking and screaming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28721436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CubeWatermelon/pseuds/Cube_
Summary: The thing is, the summoning jutsu isn’t actually that hard.And little academy student Sakura, young and clanless and desperate to prove the world that she’s bigger than her forehead, is also friends with Ino, clan heir with connections to the Nara. She watches Shikaku summon a deer once, and an idea turns in her brain.It’s not her fault nobody told her the technique wasn’t for pre-genin.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 116
Kudos: 923
Collections: Strong BAMF Sakura





	1. mistakes are made

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo I know I have other fics but I typed this up in a day :) hope you enjoy!

Sakura never forgets. Her father calls her his little dictionary, because she once read an encyclopaedia front to back and can still recall each fact under each word. Her mother laughs whenever Sakura tells her about the number of stones in a bridge, or paving the street, and she berates both parents when they can’t seem to recall anniversaries or special dates.

It gets her weird looks at school, when she answers a question with exactly the same words the teacher used last week, but it all gets blown under the radar because she’s just Sakura- a merchant clan civilian. She learns to not parrot back what she remembers, to mix her words up and simplify, to stop talking in large chunks because that gets you sneered at and called a teacher’s pet.

She hates it sometimes, the never forgetting. But it does make this next part much easier, and for that she has to be grateful.

You see, her class recently learnt about chakra; had a whole class about moulding it to stick leaves to yourself. Sakura stuck the most leaves to her forehead, and felt like she could do even more but Ino started complaining how this was all stuff she learnt before and persuaded Sakura to gossip for the rest of the school day. She had fun, she always has fun with Ino, but it still felt like a wasted opportunity and so Sakura outsourced.

That brings her to now, folding her hands into the same shapes she saw Shikaku-san use, and finding that stream of energy that flows through her, steady and strong. It’s as easy as breathing, and so is directing it, feeling it swell into her fingertips, and Sakura has a moment of hope that she’ll open her eyes and a deer will be there before, suddenly-

Sakura disappears.

\---

Sakura doesn’t know where she is.

She’s been awake for a while now, first blinking dust from her eyes as she uncurled her body away from the tree she was against. What greeted her was an unfamiliar swamp, dark and sprawling, with trees whose roots stick above the ground, and ferns so large they could wrap her whole home up into a parcel. The chatter of unfamiliar birdsong sometimes breaks the cricket’s unending hum, but even those sounds are muffled in a way, as if they’re coming from another room. She was confused, then horrified, and now it’s all melted into a thrum of panic that’s the only force propelling her forwards as staying on top of that tree’s root wasn’t doing anything and her parents always said to do her best.

Water sloshes around her knees as she carries on walking in that random direction she first picked. It felt like maybe an hour or two had passed since she got here, but she’s seen the sun dip and rise three times by now, a fact that has only added to the pit of anxiety bubbling within.

Her parents are going to kill her when she gets back.

She passes a skeleton twice her size with teeth to match, and gulps. _If_ she gets back.

Eventually, she needs to take a break because her legs are starting to grow numb from cold, and tears are quickly welling up which makes it much harder to see where she’s going. She hobbles over to a nearby log, wiping her eyes and trying not to sniff too loud, and collapses onto it.

“Hey, what the hell kid,” Someone says.

“Fuck!” Sakura shouts, a word she’s heard her father say once and instantly told to forget. Too bad she can’t. It seems appropriate for this kind of situation.

Casting her gaze around, she finally looks _down_ \- to meet the half open eye of her log.

Jumping up, she overbalances and falls flat on her back into the swamp. On instinct, she breathes in, and emerges from the water spluttering and feeling like a half-drowned rat.

The log looks amused, a second transparent eyelid blinking slowly.

“Nicely done, kiddo,” The log quips, revealing long rows of teeth that gleam in the dark. It then seems to shimmy its body, before rising up and up and up- revealing scales and claws and a long, paddle like tail.

Crocodile, her mind supplies. Fuck, Sakura thinks instead.

She knows she’s gaping, and snaps her jaws shut with a click, gathering the advice her parents gave her when meeting new people (animals?) to stutter out a meek hello. It comes out croaky, her throat still sore, and she tries again only to use too much force ending up with her shouting her greeting in the crocodile’s face.

It’s mortifying. There isn’t really any protocol for this kind of thing. Sakura promises that if she survives, she’ll write a rule book herself.

At least her log-turned-sentient-being thinks she’s funny, judging from the laughter. It’s a surprisingly human sound, and she can’t help but relax a bit, a sheepish smile forming on her face.

“They starting you out small then, huh?” The crocodile mutters, eyes assessing her, “Where’s that muscle? You look like a strong wind could blow you over. How have you managed to survive for this long, little ninja?”

“Oh!” Sakura exclaims, and makes a crossing motion with her hands, “Oh, no I’m not a ninja yet um, crocodile-san. The exam will still be a while yet, and we’ve only really started… on the… uh, chakra exercises?”

Sakura trails off as the expression on their face becomes even more incredulous as she spoke. It’s kind of awkward, and she wrings her hands as she debates on whether to apologise or something.

The crocodile steals her decision by making an awfully loud bellowing sound, one that rings across the swamp clear as a bell and not at all like the bird or the insects. It makes her teeth chatter and her bones shake, her heart skipping a beat or two as goosebumps erupt across skin that isn’t already gooseflesh from the cold.

There’s a beat of shock, before movement, slow but gaining speed, the sound of water being displaced from far away until a log drifts into view, then another, and one more, appearing with a speed that causes her head to spin.

They’re not logs, her mind points out, and Sakura has to blink three times before she can make out the hundreds of eyes trained on her. She shrinks back, and bumps into her first crocodile, whose puffed themselves up and is beginning to speak.

“Well?” They state, which confuses her until she realises they aren’t talking to her.

“She doesn’t smell of lies and deceit!” A nasally sounding voice cries from the back.

“No spine, no meat, but good eyes.” A deep voice rumbles, which sparks some snapping.

“A child!” One shrills.

“She’s got potential! We can keep her, make her last.”

“So young! She won’t last, her hands are still clean! We haven’t had human in so long…”

“They’re too stringy!”

“Not if you eat them quick!”

Sakura does not like the sound of this conversation, and judging from the growl at her back, neither does crocodile-san.

“SILENCE.” They boom, forcing the gathering which was quickly growing in volume quieting down to barely a whisper. “Kid. Tell us your name.”

She clears her throat before she speaks this time. “Haruno Sakura, crocodile-san. It’s- well, I’m only a civilian, so I- uh, that’s all.” She swallows past the frog in her throat, and manages to eek out, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

The tension rockets and Sakura thinks well, that’s it, I’ve said something wrong and now I’ll never see my parents again, but they huff out a guttural sound full of constants and deep notes she could never hope to mimic. She tries, anyways, and its pathetic compared to theirs but they practically beam at her, mouth cracking into a large grin.

It seems to pierce the atmosphere, because suddenly all the other crocodiles are climbing over themselves to make their own introduction, and the swamp is filled with so many sounds she can’t hear this from that.

“We haven’t had a human in this swamp for a very long time, Sakura of Haruno.” Her crocodile explains, “Your voice is a novelty for us, and we are thankful for your attempt, as paltry as it may be.”

Their voice cuts through the din yet again, and Sakura is dimly aware that had she not sat on this very crocodile, who holds this much power, she might already be dead.

It’s a sobering thought and snaps her into a panic enough to ask questions. “Where _is_ this swamp? Can I still go home? What’s going to happen now? What did I _do_?”

A large eye softens. “This swamp has been here the longest out of all the realms, and our kind even longer. You are in the spirit realm, kid, and you must have initiated the tradition of gaining a summons- one that most fight most ferociously to achieve. It is a feat that shall not go unchecked; we shall have to take you to… ah, one of higher authority- I do not remember your human terms.”

Sakura absorbs this new information like a sponge, and she tried to ask even more questions but instead, a large mouth closes around her and she’s plunged into darkness.

She struggles for a few seconds, blind and afraid, before realising that she’s not being swallowed. Instead, it’s almost like she’s being carried, the feeling so foreign it shocks her into compliance. She carefully doesn’t stretch out any further than she already has, the sight of all those teeth still fresh in her mind, and the warmth that’s seeping back into her bones is a welcome positive to a day of negatives.

Soon, the swaying of heavy feet comes to a halt, and with surprisingly gentleness she is pushed out of her captors mouth and onto, kami bless, dry ground.

Her eyes dilate as they adjust to the light, since it is now day again, and the shuffle of a hundred crocodiles tells her that the entourage has followed and possibly gained a few more members. It’s kind of humbling, being here is this ancient place, surrounded by these old creatures and still treated with, well, as much respect as she could probably get.

She then notices the massive crocodile sat in front of her.

Humbling indeed.

“Haruno Sakura!” They trill, the sound suspiciously upbeat but she can hear the underlying growl. “Why, the first human in over two thousand years and it’s a pretty young thing like you!”

Blushing, she clenches her hands into her dress and gives a deep bow, one her parents taught her for when she met Ino’s family. “You honour me, um, crocodile-sama.”

To her horror, the crocodile tears up. “And so well mannered too! Ah, we truly have been blessed today, why please call me Koko-chan, as my name-“ constants, so many constants, “- will take you a while yet to get right!”

“Of course, Koko-chan,” Sakura replies, working on autopilot now. She’s so overwhelmed all she can do is watch helplessly as the crocodile bursts into frenzied crying, their tears flowing into the swamp and the complete lack of any commotion behind her suggests that this is a normal occurrence.

Sakura definitely doesn’t know how to process this.

“Oh, Sakura-denka! To hear you call me that, I’m so moved! We must commence the binding of this contract post-haste, I shan’t let a treasure such as you slip through our claws.”

“Binding?” She echoes, “Koko-chan, I- well, what does that mean? Will I… will I still be able to go back home?”

The tears, as quickly as they came, leave as Koko bends down with a serious set to their jaw. “My dear Sakura-denka, upon forming the last hand seal of the summoning jutsu, you were taken here, our meeting fated from the very start. We summons are your equal in soul, and your journey onto the future shall be made with us at your beck and call. All that needs to be done is the binding rite, where we test the mettle of those who arrive at our door.”

They pause here, and seem to consider something, before moving on. “We summons don’t get children often, you know. Our last batch of hatchlings was a thousand years ago, and we aren’t expected to have another for a few thousand more. As such, we celebrate and do not harm the young, whether they be spirit or human.” Another break, this time for Koko to move their large head as close as possible to Sakura. “You’re lucky to be so small, Sakura-denka. Should you fail the rite, we will send you back to your lands to try another day. Had you been older, we would not be so merciful.”

Sakura wants to cry. But, instead, she places her hand upon Koko’s snout, and hopes her gratitude shines through that tiny point of contact. It must do something, because something genuine sparks in Koko’s eyes, before they retreat.

“Now! We’ll explain more later, but let us commence the test, hm? Do not worry, for it is just three questions, nothing to fret about at all!”

Sakura rubs her eyes to get rid of any lingering soreness, and nods with a firm up-down motion.

“Excellent,” Koko purrs, “The first question is, have you noticed?”

Huh? Sakura almost says, but clamps her jaw shut tight. She wracks her brain for things that could be wrong, trying to keep as blank a face as possible. Noticed? Noticed what-

“Oh! Didn’t those crocodiles earlier talk about, uh…” Here she braces herself, unsure. “Well, they we’re talking about how edible I was, which was super scary, but, you said children aren’t harmed here right? So, could it be that they were- I guess, acting?”

Koko’s smile splits her face in two. “Very good! Our speciality is a closely guarded secret; many have never seen a crocodile summon their whole lives regardless of their species and that is no accident. We specialise in deception, whether through not being seen at all, or being seen in a way we wanted.”

Sakura’s eyes are wide, but it all makes sense. The theatrical feel some of her interactions had, the weirdly protective crocodile she first met, and the days of walking. These crocodiles were assessing her the whole time, weren’t they?

Some of her shame at being played must have shown on her face, because Koko says, “You saw in the end, Sakura-denka, and that is what matters most. You will learn with time how to catch on much faster! But I digress, the second question! What did you desire?”

Desire… “The reason I copied Shikaku-san was- I just, I’m only Sakura, you know? Ino’s the real reason why I’m not bullied every day, the other kids don’t do it in front of her. But they still whisper and with how well I did with that chakra control task, I thought… it’s probably a bit silly but I really did think that if I managed to pull this off, show them that I can do something only proper ninja like Shikaku-san can do, it’ll make them see- or, I suppose realise- that I’m not forehead girl anymore?”

“You don’t sound too sure,” Koko states, strangely solemn.

“I think it’s because… at the time, I didn’t really know what I want. I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t stop to consider, I only really wanted to make it work, so learning that I would never have just poof a deer out of nowhere kind of blindsided me? I- right now, I want to get back to my parents, but I would just ask you to send me back if that was all I wanted so…”

Sakura’s voice fails as she struggles to put into words the hard pit deep inside of her, how it burns when she sees Ino ace something because she was already taught it, or when the other civilians laugh at her for trying to be a ninja, or even when her parents look at her like they're just indulging her. It’s frustration, and frustration at being frustrated because she should be used to this by now but it still aches and-

“An honest answer for an honourable human,” Koko interrupts, half-lidded but somehow still kind. “Those twice your age have given less. Be proud that you can look deep within yourself and confront what you see, especially as a hatchling.”

And with those words, the pit aches just a little bit less.

“A third question will be your last. What will you give us in return?”

“I’ll be a great student!” Sakura exclaims, and then claps her hands over her mouth at her outburst. “Not to say that I’m, like, the best or anything but my teachers always say I work really hard and I really will! Also, um, that can’t be all I give you otherwise it’s super unfair, so I… I’ll always help with any requests you give me. And… I can cook? Do you like beef? I can make some stir fry, with some help with my mum but I’ll get better at that too! And- and, I’ll always keep your secrets and I promise I’ll never betray you or anything and-“

Koko interrupts her again, this time with crackling laughter that shakes the trees around them, making it rain leaves and ripple the water. It takes her a few seconds, but she realises _everyone_ is laughing, even that super serious first crocodile she met (she really must get a nickname from him!) which makes her face flush bright red.

“Another brilliant answer, honourable Sakura-denka! Although, do make sure to not bite off more you can chew, it’ll give you indigestion, ha!”

The relief that hits her makes her sway, or it might be because of the quantity of blood currently in her head. “So, do I… pass?”

“Pass? Ohoho, pass indeed! In order to officially complete the rite, all you need to do now is gift a few drops of your blood to the boss summon.”

Sakura steps forwards, ready to bite her thumb and present it to Koko, when something stops her short. Frozen mid step, she turns to look at the crowd of crocodiles behind her, quickly finding the one she first sat on. Staring into their eyes, they give one slow wink and, without knowing why, Sakura steps away from Koko.

“You’re not the boss summon, are you?” She asks, turning back to look Koko in the eyes.

She didn’t know crocodiles could look so proud. She’s already learning new things.

“And who is?” Koko replies.

“Your speciality is deception, so it can’t be you, it’s too obvious. And the crocodile who carried me never said _you_ was the boss summon, just someone with higher authority. So… I don’t know. I- I’m not good enough to work it out myself,” Sakura rushes out, before holding her breath.

“… You’ll go far, Sakura-denka. You are correct- but know that there is no shame in asking for help. To deny you your status as a summoner now would be a tragedy in three parts, and thus, should all present vote yes, we will reveal the location of our boss summon. Vote!”

What followed was a cacophony of sound, even louder than when they laughed. It leaves her shaking, knees knocking together as every crocodile roared their assertion, their faith in her so absolute she feels invincible. She should be on the ground, so great their noise, but instead she still stands, unsteady but head held high and heart soaring.

“Then, we have agreed! Sakura-denka, the Unseeing Superior-heika, our lord and protector of these lands has not been seen by any crocodile, and She has not visited us since the last human passed by. From what I heard, She ate him. I cannot tell you anything but a location where She will meet you, and you must present you arm to be bit, so that our most sacred contract will be sealed.”

“ _None_ of you have ever seen Her?” Sakura says, awed.

“To be the Unseeing means a great deal to us, Sakura. We have had only three in our long lifetimes, and they are voted in once They grow too old to uphold their duties. The moment the vote has been cast, they strip all identity, for to embody deception itself means to deceive even your soul. However, you humans are exempt from the rule, becoming our messengers should the need become dire, and allowing you to summon Them for your duties in your realm.”

“That’s… a lot, and I only really understood some of it but thank you so much for telling me.”

“It’s what we’re here to do! Ah, how exciting, lean in close Sakura so I may whisper the location. As second to Her, me and one other knows this sacred place, but of course under ancient oaths we are not allowed to visit ourselves. Quickly now! I cannot wait a second longer!”

Scrambling, Sakura rushes to Koko’s side, and presses her ear to their mouth, straining to hear the directions they hiss to her ears only. “You will not forget?” Koko inquires.

“I never forget.” Sakura grins back. And, with a final wave, sets off running.

\---

Three more cycles pass before Sakura reaches the clearing, which reveals a pond with a jutting stone embedded in the middle. Brushing past vines, feet sore and shivering again, she stops to take a breath, having ran (and maybe jogged a bit) all the way here.

The area is beautiful, but in a way that is the same as other parts of the swamp. There’s no monuments, no defining features, and it’s what she expected and yet not at all at the same time.

The only thing telling her she’s in the right place is this aura of- anticipation? Serenity? Perhaps the feeling just before being ambushed; seconds before muscles tense and your hind brain starts screaming at you. It makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as if electrically charged or if she’s been running on a rug with socks on again.

Sakura approaches the pond, kneeling at the side, and waits.

She does not have to wait long.

It’s like a cloak is suddenly draped across the whole area, a heavy presence that can’t be ignored. If her hair was standing on end earlier, now it should be floating, like the seconds before a lightning strike. The area has gone completely silent, but, if she strains her ears- yes, there’s the soft rasp of something very big breathing in and out.

Careful to not make any sudden moves, she turns to face Her.

“Unseeing Superior-heika, thank you for appearing to me today,” Sakura murmurs, scared to break the hush that has fallen, and bowing deep. However, something twinges and with no warning she loses her balance, crumpling onto the muddy ground.

Gasping for air, suddenly so tired she can barely open her eyes, Sakura can only lay there for a few seconds, before a giant claw slides into her point of view. Reaching out, she grapples onto it and drags herself upwards, legs unable to compute what once was easy instructions.

She has to prop herself up on the claw, and from this position all she can see is one massive, slitted eye, it’s nictitating membrane probably twice the size of her. And yet, despite being so large, Sakura feels at home, like she could sleep forever with those eyes watching her, a safety that is unending and _raw_.

It’s painful to look away, but she forces herself to do so, and is left panting with exertion, sweat beading her brow like a circlet. It is then that She starts to speak.

She hums out praise like she’s a waterfall of compassion, and Sakura is left drowning in it. She is relentless with her kindness, with her declarations of what will be, enough that Sakura has the epiphany that it could be enough to kill, this sort of banner of loyalty- you could devote your whole life. In a world full of chaos, to be give a haven that She vows, it would be bliss.

She seems to realise Sakura’s struggling body, and rumbles out the instructions that Sakura remembers Koko told her to complete. With the last of her energy, she sticks out her arm, and there is a beat of nothing before something _clamps down_ and Sakura is _screaming-_

\---

The air is different when Sakura wakes up. Her eyes, previously so heavy seem to open on their own accord, and what greets her is definitely not the duvet she has at home and instead the sterile cotton provided in hospitals.

Oh. She’s in a hospital, isn’t she.

She sits up with little difficulty, but her right arm twinges in a way it didn’t before and Sakura peers at it before she remembers. The healers must have treated the wound somewhat, because new scar tissure covers deep puncture wounds, each one easily the size of her fist. She’s super glad her boss summon didn’t put any more force, she definitely wouldn’t have had an arm anymore.

Rotating her arm, she can still bend it like normal, but the skin stretches in a way that means her healing isn’t fully done. Poking one is like poking a deep bruise, and she makes sure to remember not to sleep on that side for the next week or three.

Looking around, Sakura notices a vase of flowers and a card written by Ino, some more cards from various family members, and she thinks that’s it, leaning back only to brush against something warm.

Looking down to the left, sits a stuffed crocodile toy.

Wait- hang on; Sakura squints really hard at it and the toy, it _twitches_.

“Hey, kiddo stop looking at me like that.”

Sakura screams (for an entirely different reason now) and three Anbu break down her door.

\---

The Hokage is in her hospital room. There’s also three Anbu stationed in her room, and probably a bunch more hidden away in the roof or something. Ino’s dad is also, somehow, here.

“Sakura-chan, it is so good to see you’re awake,” The Hokage begins, eyes crinkling at the side as he gives a gentle smile. Sakura isn’t fooled for a bit. “You’ve been gone for a bit over week now, did you know? The last time your parents saw you, you had left to go to the park. They were very worried for you this whole time.”

Ok, that’s got her feeling guilty. “I’ve been gone for that long?” She whispers, dismay dripping from her voice. “My parents are ok, right?”

“They’re very relieved right now that you’re back safe with us,” He reassures, “However we can’t let them visit you until you answer some very important questions. Would that be alright, Sakura-chan?”

Like she had a choice! “Of course, Hokage-sama.”

“Please, call me Sarutobi, there’s no need for titles here. Now, I’m sure you recognize the man besides me, he’ll be doing most of the asking, okay?”

She’s feeling like a parrot. “Of course, Hokage-sama.”

Ino’s dad steps forwards, face relaxed but eyes calculating. Sakura blinks up at him, and remembering the gifts, “Ino is fine as well, right? I hope she wasn’t too worried about me!”

At the sound of his daughter’s name, some of the tension in his shoulders disappears and he smiles, “She was dreadfully worried for her best friend, actually. You’ll have to make it up to her a lot when you see her again, alright?”

Now that’s something Sakura can agree to without hesitation. Her firm nod and determination makes him huff out a laugh, but he quickly moves onto the real reason he’s here.

“Sakura-chan, we need to know where you’ve been.”

Well, duh! Even the crocodile toy wiggles a bit next to her, obviously amused. “I- you have to promise not to be too mad at me, ok?” She starts, and only carries on when Ino’s dad inclines his head with a wry twist to his lips. “So, I was hanging out with Ino at Shikamaru-kun’s house, and I saw his dad, um, summon a deer. Except, at the time, I didn’t know it was a super big technique, he did it like it was nothing! So I. Might’ve. _Didthejutsubymyself_. To- uh, get a deer. Which I, y’know obviously didn’t.”

Ino’s dad’s eyebrows have steadily migrated north, and have made their home near his hairline. Even the Hokage looks shocked, face drawn and like he aged ten years in the past ten seconds. The Anbu are unreadable but Sakura wasn’t really paying attention to them. Maybe her new summons will teach her how to be better at that?

“… Sakura-chan, that was a very dangerous thing you did. You’re very luck that you managed to get back in one piece, with only that scar on your arm.” He says, professional enough that his shock doesn’t show in his words.

“Haha. Yeah, um. It wasn’t the only thing I got?” Sakura winces. Watching the colour drain from both adult’s faces was _really_ interesting.

“What do you mean by that, Sakura-chan?” The Hokage says, like a threat.

“I’m the new contract holder for the crocodile summons?” She replies, and grimaces when her sentence lilts like a question.

Ino’s dad looks like he’s going to faint. “Sakura-chan, whatever you do, do not tell Ino about this. She’ll want a summons straight away and I will not survive the week where she begs to get one.”

“Sure thing?” Ah, she did it again! Is this going to become a habit now?

There’s a beat of awkward silence, and Sakura fidgets before she’s struck with inspiration. Holding up her finger for a second, she turns to the left, where the crocodile toy is wedged between her and the wall.

“Hey, can you like, speak again? I don’t want them to think I’m crazy.” She whispers, “Also, what can I call you? I don’t think I can do your proper name yet and I want to get it right.”

The toy’s beady eyes stare at her before the thing shimmers with a sigh, revealing a small, dog sized and very real crocodile.

“Kid, call me Ikki. Oi, you two. Sakura-denka here’s telling the truth. I’m currently the summons looking after her now. I’m thankful you looked after her, and will _continue_ to look after her. Of course.”

Ino’s dad is staring at Ikki like they’ll kill him. He’s also clutching his chest in a way that her teachers said heart attacks do. The Hokage isn’t doing much better, but manages to gather his wits about him quicker than the other adult in the room. The Anbu remain mysteries to Sakura.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, crocodile-sama. On behalf of Konoha, I formally welcome you and assure you that your summoner will continue to be entitled to the same amount of support she had previously.”

Ikki grunts. “Good.”

“Sakura-chan, you do realise that what you’ve done is… extraordinary. To become a summoner is a very special thing, and adults often fail gaining their own contract. I, ah, can’t promise that things won’t change, because with your recent- well, addition, shall we call them, you’ll need specialist support.”

Oh. “Oh, is that a bad thing?”

“It doesn’t have to be,” The Hokage reassures, but it falls flat. Sakura’s face must crumple a bit because Ino’s dad jumps in with a, “You’ll probably be able to still see Ino though!” Which is nice, but also not the best.

“Can I see my parents now?”

“Oh, yes, we’ll send them in right away. Thank you for answering our questions, Sakura-chan. We’ll be in contact soon about your new arrangements.”

They then both shuffle out of the door, the Anbu filing out after them, and one even waves back when Sakura waves goodbye.

Taking a long look at the room around her, she feels like she’s going to get used to these walls a lot. When she finally sees her parents, they’re crying already, and Sakura’s guilt grows because she doesn’t weep. Ikki is wrapped around her neck like a very heavy scarf, and with them there, she can’t feel anything but their weight on her shoulders, grounding.

\---

Her parents do not take the whole summoning contract thing well. In reality, they were about to withdraw Sakura from the Academy, her disappearance acting as some sort of wake-up call to the fact that they simply couldn’t bear to have a child in a ninja career. There’s some shouting, especially from her mum, and Sakura repeats the fact that no, she can’t break the contract, that it’s forever, like a broken record throughout the day.

The next two days are the same.

It’s like pushing a boulder against the tide, Sakura whispers to Ikki one night. Showing him (he likes he/him pronouns, Sakura checked) to her parents did nothing to persuade them of anything, and they have started shooting glares at Ikki, who ignores them but Sakura can’t because nobody glares at her summons, not even her parents. Ikki offers to shut them up for good, which is definitely tempting after hearing about the virtues of being a Haruno merchant for the fifth time running. Unfortunately, putting jutsus on her parents is just a line she doesn’t want to cross.

She’s desperately hoping for some sort of break from the monotony, before the door opens and Ino’s dad shoves some homeless man into her room and closes her (still) broken door.

“Huh,” Ikki says.

Sakura is tempted to say the same. It feels like a moment where you should make some sort on vaguely confused sound, because right now she is feeling vaguely confused. The man, slumped and looking ready to accept defeat, does a double take when he sees her.

“Pink?” He mutters, like he’s never seen a colour before.

“Old?” She counters, staring at his gravity defying grey hair.

His frown is pronounced enough to be seen through his mask, and Ikki clambers around to get a better look at their interloper.

“Ow, Ikki, watch the claws! I’ve told you this before,” Sakura whines. Ikki, predictably, ignores her and is now staring holes into the man’s head, like he can see through the piece of fabric covering a good chunk of his face. His tail whips her on the cheek and she settles in for a good pout.

“Ah,” Ikki finally says, “Dog. It’s been a while since I’ve smelt that scent, but I’ll never forget it.”

That gets Sakura out of her funk quickly, and also cracks the man’s neck in new places with how fast he turned to stare. “Oh?” She politely asks, and reconsiders the homeless man. “Inuzuka?”

“Hatake, actually,” Ikki mutters, nose waving about like a flag, “Has a pack of nin-dogs, hm, perhaps eight? Good trackers.”

“Oh, that explains why Kiba-kun always knows when someone has food!” Sakura exclaims, punching her fist into her hand. She’s been the victim to his blatant begging one too many times, and now she’ll have finally her revenge.

“Maa, you’re that new summoner, huh?” The man finally drawls, his single eye tracking Ikki’s careful repositioning so that he’ll have a good view of the window. “You’re a precocious one, aren’t you?”

“Only on Sundays!” Sakura chirps back, staying still because Ikki likes to grumble when she accidentally shifts too quickly.

“Hm,” He hums, “Well, the Hokage in his infinite wisdom has assigned me to be your personal tutor on how to deal with your new summoning contract.” He pulls out a battered, orange book and plops down onto a seat.

Sakura waits for more, but the atmosphere is swiftly turning cold so she decides to be the adult in the room. “So,” She starts, “Do you have a name?”

He looks at her like he wished she’d turned into a plant and he’s getting his hopes crushed. She resists the urge to stick out her tongue. “Hatake Kakashi,” He finally says.

Another beat of silence. Sakura is going to start chewing her bedframe. “I’m Haruno Sakura,” She offers, “I guess you know but I’m with the crocodile summons. This is Ikki, he him pronouns please, and he’s the first ever crocodile I’ve met.”

Hatake absently nods along. The silence stretches.

“Who are your summons?” She asks, a bit more aggressively. This has got to be the worst adult in the world she’s ever met.

He doesn’t even talk, just flashes through some well-practiced motions and suddenly there’s eight dogs in the room. It’s- not ideal, but also ridiculously cool. The smallest one, a pug with droopy eyes like Hatake’s, pads forwards. “I’m Pakkun,” they bark.

Their voice is deep but, “It’s nice to meet you Pakkun-san! Which pronouns do you prefer?”

They tilt their head consideringly, “Boss’s always used he him so it’s what most of us roll with. None of us mind, though sometimes Guruko mixes it up a bit.” Guruko in question barks an affirmative, tale wagging.

“Cool!” Sakura beams, “I’m Haruno Sakura and your boss is supposed to train me or something. Is he always this chatty?”

To her delight, the dogs laugh. Hatake himself looks betrayed, and Sakura internally gives herself a gold star. “He’s socially inept. Didn’t play with enough puppies when he was younger, y’see,” Pakkun grunts, a smirk on his face.

Sakura nods like a wise sage. She even mimes stroking a beard, saying, “Ah, a fatal error. How will he possibly live through any conversation more than five minutes? Sorry Hatake-sensei, but it’s looking like you’re only viable path in life is a hermit- you’ve even got the crazy animal lover part down!”

Now his stare screams I’m going to kill you in ways you can’t possibly imagine. She does stick out her tongue this time, just for bonus petty reasons.

“I like you,” Pakkun says, “And I think a break from his previous job will do us some good. Training you is gonna be a blast, kid.”

Sakura feels Ikki’s claws dig into the flesh of her shoulders. “Show some respect to Sakura-denka,” He rumbles, eyes sharp.

“Ikki!” Sakura exclaims, “Sorry, this is Ikki, my summon. Don’t mind him he’s just cranky sometimes.”

Pakkun warily looks him up and down. Ikki stares back, still as a statue. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Us summons know how to deal with each other.”

She considers the spiky tension running between the two and decide not to comment. Surely they’ll work out their differences at some point? Perhaps she’ll talk with Ikki later and deal with any problems that crop up. Her mum used to give that advice, but now Sakura doesn’t want to hear the advice her mum’s giving at all.

Thinking about her parents makes her stomach burn, so she turns her attention back to Hatake, who is definitely sulking. “Seems like we’re stuck with each other Hatake-sensei! Do you already have a schedule ready or something?”

Her new teacher gives her a dead-eyed stare. He then unrolls a scroll he pulled from one of his pockets, and hands it to her.

“Everyday!?” Sakura yelps, “I’m going to be training with you all week? Does that mean I’m not part of the Academy anymore?”

“Welcome to the world of apprenticeships,” Hatake drawls in a similar fashion to someone welcoming another to hell, “As your teacher has been forced into this, we’re already off to an unorthodox start,” He pauses to smile at her and chills run down her spine, “So since we really are stuck with eachother, lets have fun, hm?”

His dogs no longer seem as welcoming, each one grinning ear to ear. Sakura feels like cornered prey.

“Yay?” She says, unsure of what’s to come.

“Fun indeed,” Ikki murmurs and Sakura prays she’ll see next week.

Somewhere, Koko is laughing at her.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did like, so much thinking about these summons lmaooo gonna write some extra crap down below that didn't make the cut;  
> \- Sakura got the baby version of the test with no violence, adult ppl gotta hunt and ambush a croc with intent to kill but make the concious choice not to do so. family is super important!  
> \- Her answers were also given a bit more leeway, I expect an adult to be a lot more eloquent n shit. You're dealing with dinos here, you dont wanna be lookin like a fool.  
> \- probably around 300 crocs in total but im def not counting.  
> \- genjutsu type sakura.... I'll make sure u florish dw girl  
> \- crocs are water earth types :)  
> \- the swamp was mainly a callback to the slug forests, but it's developed into its own place. i doubt Sakura is gonna go back but lets just say i tried to give is as much ancient triassic era vibes as possible haha  
> \- I thought about making ikki the boss... but decided against the cliche :,)
> 
> and that's all! drop a kudos if you can, comments feed the beast, luv u all hope ur living deliciously!


	2. getting there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a bumpy start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second chapter done whoo! we've got growth, emotions and more summon interactions.  
> Please note the change in rating, mainly for bad language! also tw for a brief description of panic-attack-like symptoms in this chapter :')

It’s a beautiful day in Konoha, and Sakura is avoiding her parents. It’s been a week since she was discharged from the hospital, and also a week of diligently following Hatake around to watch him unenthusiastically demonstrate simple chakra exercises before giving up and releasing his hounds to take over. She’s probably spent more time talking to Pakkun then Hatake himself- something which rankles her on the inside. It’s obvious he has no idea how to teach children, to the point where Sakura has to drop him unsubtle hints on what to explain.

This dismissive treatment paired with Sakura quickly mastering the chakra exercises leaves her feeling neglected. She didn’t really know what to expect in the first place, but now that she’s gotten a taste of her “special training” she feels like she’s been given the short end of the stick. Surely there’s supposed to be more to this then holding countless leaves to her skin?

She can’t even discuss her emotions with her parents because they’ll just jump on the chance to wax about the injustices of the ninja career, how she should abandon these silly games she’s playing and be a real Haruno.

Thank Kami she has Ikki with her, otherwise she’d have gone mad days ago. He’s been listening to the bulk of her complaints, and even teaching her some _proper_ ninja techniques. Many times she’s lamented the fact that he refuses to take over her actual training because she technically already has a teacher- explained away with how he can’t interfere with human politics or something. Sounds like laziness to her, but she keeps her mouth shut.

So right now, the sun is shining and the birds are singing and Sakura is wandering between the different training grounds, wasting her day so she spends the least amount of time in the stifling atmosphere of her home. Ikki has his mouth open as if mid yawn, eyes closed and basking in the warmth whilst plenty comfortable around her neck. Nowadays its stranger for him not to be there, Sakura thinks, reaching up to scratch the underside of his jaw and being rewarded with a growling purr.

It doesn’t take long before she’s made her third consecutive lap around the area, passing by a bridge she’s been using as a marker. Considering the height of the sun, it’s still not late enough in the day where she meets Hatake again, but past lunch time at the Academy so she can’t hang out with Ino. Her best friend has recently gone really weird around boys, but with everything that’s happened to Sakura she really doesn’t see what’s so interesting about them anyways.

No boy will ever be as cool as Ikki when he’s singing. Also, she’s so preoccupied with puzzling through her own emotions she can’t even begin to imagine figuring out someone else’s.

Whatever. She still has a few ideas on what to do now.

“Hey, Ikki?” She says, breaking the easy silence around them. “Don’t suppose you know why there isn’t a training ground forty-four around here?”

He tilts his head. “That’s a pretty cursed number, kiddo. Maybe it just doesn’t exist?”

“No, I heard some shinobi talking about it once,” She responds, wrinkling her nose a bit. “Y’know when you were teaching me to enhance my senses? I had an awful headache the next day, but I definitely remember hearing that.”

“Ah,” He huffs, “I said to not use too much chakra the first time round! No one to blame but yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” She waves, “I’ve gotten better at it now- I think I can even expand my range a bit further by next week. But off topic; right now, I’m _super_ curious over this super cursed place.”

“Then go find it, kiddo,” Ikki says like it’s no big deal. She points that out. “It _isn’t_ a big deal, just explore the village- go off the beaten path and all that. S’what every ninja needs to do at least once in their lives, adapt to your current situation and see where that takes you.”

“But, my parents say to stick to what you know,” She frowns.

“Yeah and your parents haven’t been thinking too clearly recently either. You really gonna listen to them still kiddo?”

Oh damn, he’s got her there. Sending him a haughty look to let him know this isn’t over, she hesitantly turns to face the direction she most thinks the training ground will be. It’s weird, just- moving like she knows where to go, with no predetermined paths around her, but eventually she picks up speed, soon back to her normal pace as she quickly realises that this is no different than walking to the shops.

It’s kind of thrilling. She’s been snubbing her parents’ rules the whole time since she got back, but now she’s doing that with other things. Rebellion has never felt sweeter, and with Ikki’s rumble in her ears she trudges forwards, one step at a time.

\---

It takes her a few hours, but she does it.

Standing before a tall, imposing chain link fence, she makes out the bold lettering of a well-worn sign proudly proclaiming the area ahead to be training ground forty-four. There’s also numerous keep out signs, each warning of imminent death and incredible danger.

So cool!

“Woah,” Sakura exhales, “You think we can climb over the fence?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Sakura reaches forwards and the moment her fingers make contact a low resonant hum of chakra hits her system. It has her flinching backwards, but with a furrowed brow she quickly figures out how to dispel it. Her hands touch the links a second time, and now she easily diverts the foreign chakra, enabling her to find purchase and lift herself up.

Shoving her sandals into the holes of the fence she eventually grapples her way up to the top, and swinging her legs over, she drops with a soft oof. Leaves scatter around her feet when she lands, and she pulls herself to her full height as she assesses the road ahead.

“This place is definitely cursed,” Sakura murmurs, taking a few steps forwards. Lifting her nose reflexively in the air, she braces herself and takes a sniff. The rush of stimuli that hits her is still a mess she can’t really sort out, but Ikki says she needs to do this whenever she’s somewhere unfamiliar. It’s so she can get used to all the smells around her- a long, arduous process and one that routinely has her coughing.

Waving a hand in front of her face like it’ll stop everything from being so intense, she brings her sense of smell back to its normal levels and delves into the undergrowth. It almost feels like the crocodile swamp, just a lot more- dryer? Yet that same aura of anticipation hangs heavy in the air, viscous and causing her to clutch her hands as she pivots around large trees and thick leaves.

Ikki clears his throat. “Kiddo, you seen enough yet to sate that curiosity?”

Sakura thinks about leaving this forest to have another lukewarm training session with Hatake and Pakkun. Hatake will give her some inane task to do with her hands, Pakkun will appear twenty minutes in and fail to take any initiative because he’s still a ninken- he’s even more at a loss on what to teach a human kid, let alone one his boss is supposed to be taking care of. He’s really good with keeping her focused and providing a second opinion but his mindset is so… developed that it always leaves Sakura feeling like a fool because she didn’t know to do one thing or another. The other dogs are cheerleaders at best and distractions at worst.

Then, once she’s made it through that ordeal and leaving with barely any new knowledge and a growing hatred for squirrels, she has to walk her way back home to have a frosty dinner as her parents refuse to have Ikki at the table and Sakura refuses to be without him so she always takes her food and leaves only for them to hate that and ask her to stay but also act like she’s being unreasonable the whole time whilst she feeds Ikki slices of pork.

She goes to sleep feeling like a disappointment, because that’s all her parents seem to think of her right now, and its rinse and repeat the next day. Except, maybe, she’s feeding Ikki sliced lotus root instead.

Sakura shakes her head. “No, Ikki,” She answers, and heads deeper.

He asks again later. “It’s getting late, kid, don’t you think it’s time to head back?”

She rips her hand away from a young tree, breaking a long branch with her force. Using it as a walking stick, she grunts a no back at him, and carries on.

Time passes. She’s stopped by a small stream, and is washing her hands in it, when he speaks up a third time. “Kid, you need to turn back.”

Sakura makes a frustrated noise. “No, Ikki! Listen, nobody out there will even care that I’ll be back so late. Hatake-sensei will probably be relieved I won’t show up. Now leave me alone!”

“Your session with Hatake is long gone, kid,” Ikki hisses back, “Your feet are blistered from walking, your hands bleeding from that stick. The medics said you needed to take it easy after your recent brush with the hypothermia you got from your trial. Enough is enough!”

“I don’t care!” She shouts. “Are you trying to hold me back too now? I completed the ritual, I’m the youngest summoner ever! Stop looking down on me!”

“I’m _not_ looking down on you!” Ikki bellows back, “I’m trying to make you see that what you’re doing is _hurting_ you and letting yourself pass out in this godforsaken forest _isn’t going to solve anything_!”

“I’m not trying to solve _shit_!” She screams. “You don’t know me! _You don’t understand_ _anything_!” And with a final cry, she grabs Ikki by the back and drags him off her shoulders, heedless of the sound of ripping fabric. Tossing him into the stream she takes off running, open mouthed and gasping with fists clenched tight.

A furious roar echoes behind her. She doesn’t slow down a fraction, instead stumbling her way forwards, squinting through water-clogged eyes. Jumping through a bush, her feet catch on something and then she’s rolling, mud and dirt smearing itself across her body, some even getting onto her teeth. She spits it out, tasting copper as well, and pushes off the ground, limping her way forwards until she finds a hole burrowed between some roots.

It takes some wiggling, but she manages to squish her way inside. Pressing herself against the back she curls herself up tight, panting and unable to stop shaking. The only sounds that can be heard are her aborted sobs and too-fast breathing.

What has she done.

Her thoughts are interrupted with the shake of trees as something very large stomps around. Each step vibrates through her bones, and she holds her breath until she’s sure that the stomping is getting fainter and fainter.

Ikki must be _so_ mad.

That makes her body turn boneless, each tense muscle untensing until she’s just a shivering lump, hands in a death grip. Opening them, she notices the blood encrusted underneath each nail, how they’d bitten through the skin of her palm and now little red crescent moons stare back at her. She blinks in shock and inhales, only to whimper as that shoots a hot fork of pain up her nose. Carefully, she prods it only to jerk back with a hiss, and licking her lips reveals them to be cut and aching.

She gives her a moment to breathe in and out through her mouth. It stings, but not as much as breathing through her nose does. She feels numb all over, and she gazes forwards listlessly as the full repercussions of her actions hit her like a blacksmith’s anvil.

They’re going to take away her contract, of course. For all her talk about it being unbreakable, she was actually lying about how sure she was of that little statement. After what she’s just done they’re going to bring her back to the swamp and strip her of her title, probably banish her from ever contacting her again. Her parents will never forgive her for lying so she’s definitely going to be disowned and homeless in the next few weeks. They might be kind enough to let her find an apartment first, but she doubts it. Will probably tell her to go ask Ikki for help, since she was so friendly with him at first.

With no summons, there’ll be no training. Hatake will well and truly be rid of her. She’ll never listen to Pakkun’s dry humour or Bull’s loud laughter. With the need to work a job so she can eat and pay rent, she can’t even go back to the Academy- not only will she simply not have the time but she won’t be able to afford it either. Ino will forget about her, so will Shikamaru and Choji. She’ll be a failure until the day she dies.

She’s properly crying by the end of that train of thought. She has to shove a hand over her mouth, even if she smears blood everywhere, so that she doesn’t make too much noise. Maybe if she’s quiet, Ikki will never find her, and she can stay a summoner. Let her cling to this one thing that’s changed her life so completely, in the best and worst ways possible. Kami, who is she kidding. She’s not worthy to be the crocodile summoner, not after what she’s just done. They’ll find a way to null the contract, with her or without her. Her best chance at making a normal life will probably need her to leave the village, maybe she can convince a merchant wagon to take her using her Haruno status before that’s gone. Surely there’ll be someone who can give her a place in return for some work, she’s got to start looking right away-

“Sakura-chan?”

Sakura _freezes_.

“Sakura-chan, it’s Hatake-sensei. The, ah, one with the dogs?”

_What is he doing here._

“Sakura-chan, I need you to come out now. Everyone is very worried, you know. I’ve been looking for you for a while now, ever since you didn’t show up to our lessons. You’re always so punctual! I thought you might have gone home, but when your parents said they hadn’t seen you…”

What is _happening_?

“It’s only when Ikki-san showed up that we had any idea where you were. You didn’t tell us he could grow so big! Gave us an awful fright, I’ve never seen Shikaku-san look so alarmed. He’s… with us now. He’s not mad at you, I promise. Neither am I.”

This is too much.

“So, it would be really great if you could leave that hole, Sakura-chan. If you don’t say anything soon, I’ll probably need to dig you out, because you could be badly injured, or- shit. She’s stopped breathing for too long, fuck this I’m going in.”

Huh?

Suddenly, the entrance to the hole widens in a way that smacks of a jutsu being used, before a man shimmies his way inside. There’s a beat where he just stares at her, face showing a flash of something painful, before he reaches forwards.

The moment a large hand closes around her, she wants to lash out. It feels so hot, like a frying pan straight off the hob, like she should be able to smell her own flesh sizzling. But, as soon as it hit it’s like her body realises something and she melts into the touch. Was she really that cold?

He must have felt her twitch, because he pauses for half a second before getting his other arm under her, cradling her to his chest. She’s carried up and out, feeling so fragile she can’t do anything but dumbly blink as her eyes adjust to the brighter light- is it morning?

No, there’s a few people milling about, and one of them holds a lantern. Ino’s dad is once again somehow here, peering at her with barely concealed concern, and a few different Anbu stand at attention. Have all these people been looking for her? She doesn’t even get to follow that thought before a large, scaly head shoves its way to her, huffing deep breaths before a relieved sigh billows across her skin.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again, kiddo,” Ikki grumbles, shrinking down and curling across her.

“Sakura-chan, you need to breathe,” Hatake says, a worried glint to his eye.

“Her summoner status is already beginning to change her body, Hatake,” Ikki cuts in, “Give her a few and she’ll realise soon enough.”

His words seem to activate something in her, because she does realise that she isn’t breathing, and probably hasn’t for a while judging by Hatake’s reaction. That’s strange, because she doesn’t feel like she’s suffocating, and yet-

Sakura takes a deep breath, chokes, and starts wailing. Her grip on Hatake increases ten-fold as she buries her face into his flak jacket and cries. Ikki instantly begins crooning something in a volume she can’t hear but can feel, and Hatake more than makes up for Ikki’s inaudible comfort by providing his own soft nonsense words, reaching up and gently stroking her head. His fingers get tangled in her hair a few times, and Ikki’s spine is digging into her hip a bit too much, but it’s the best thing she’s ever felt.

“It’s going to be okay,” Kakashi says, and Sakura believes him.

\---

They’ve taken her to a small, cosy room with three different heaters running on full. Kakashi has long since removed his outer layers and is reclining on a sofa with Sakura nestled into his side, legs hanging over his. Despite it all Sakura feels nothing but pleasantly warm, not even sweating. Ikki is on her lap seeing as his usual space would be a squeeze to get into, and he always has an eye trained on her, like he’s afraid she’ll disappear if he doesn’t.

“You’re still too cold, Sakura-chan,” Kakashi mutters, before somehow procuring a blanket and draping it over them both. He even tucks in the sides, which almost makes her giggle, but her voice hasn’t really worked since she’d broken down. She settles for sluggishly patting his arm with her newly bandaged hands.

The next few moments melt together, thick as molasses, leaving her breathing deeply with her eyes closed. That seems to get Ikki and Kakashi talking.

“I’m sorry,” Kakashi starts, “I should’ve- been there sooner. I only really started looking when it started to get dark, figured she’d given up or- well. Her parents have been _very_ vocal about their, hm, reservations.”

Ikki stays quiet.

“I’ve also… Look, I’ve been a shit teacher. I don’t have any excuses, I mean, I’ve never worked with kids, but I was- er, let’s put it as a leader of a team for a while, so I should be used to training others. I should. It’s just. Hard. For me to…”

“Don’t push yourself, brat,” Ikki says abruptly, making Kakashi’s muscles jump. “I get it. You’ve got some shit to work through, we all have. Stop with the self-flagellation and work on being a better teacher to Sakura-denka in the future. S’only been a week anyways, if your shit carried on for longer then we’d be having words. But it hasn’t. So, move on and do better.”

An explosive sigh, and Sakura feels clawed feet shuffle around to find a new position. “Never should’ve let her enter that stupid forest anyways. Never should’ve underestimated her like the rest of you, I’m her damn personal summons for crying out loud- I ought to have taken one look at that place and said no outright. The signs were all there that she’d have taken it as a challenge, especially after all the crap she’s gone through.”

A pause. “Guess we’ve both got our work cut out for us, huh.”

Kakashi snorts. “Sure have. She’s a handful, but- it. Has been more interesting than my previous job.”

It’s Ikki’s turn to laugh now, a throaty sound. “Just interesting?”

“Yeah,” Kakashi says, a smile evident in his voice, “Just interesting. Don’t think I can say any more- shit to work through, remember?”

“Mmh,” Ikki hums absently, but Sakura can tell he’s smiling too.

They descend into silence, and after a while, the steady rise and fall of both their chests implies they’ve both fallen asleep. She should sleep too, she’s so tired her exhaustion has exhaustion, but she’s still too wired from earlier and drifts in that hazy place before you actually fall into unconsciousness.

That turns out to be the right decision because it means she’s aware of what’s going on when someone new scoops her up and jumps out of a window.

She looks up to see sharp fangs and dark, cropped hair. Sakura wants to scream, but something about them smells… familiar?

“Hey little summoner!” Her captor greets, smile a sharp slash on their face. “Sorry for waking you up, you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to wait until your little guards fell asleep!”

“Ankoooo!” A small voice pipes up. “I told you this was a bad idea, gosh, we’re going to be _raked_ across the coals for this!”

“Nonsense!” Anko brushes off, “I left like, a note and everything.”

“A ripped off piece of fabric isn’t a note, Anko!” A different, weirdly musical voice slips in. “They’re going to think you turned traitor _again_ , and that really messes up my five-year plan!”

“Causing mischief again, Anko?” A third voice says, gosh how many different people are there? This one is croaky, with an audible hiss to it. “Well, leave me out of it. I still haven’t grown back those scales from your last adventure.”

Anko scoffs. They then slip into what’s probably her apartment, with is so full of stuff it makes Sakura wonder how they can fit themselves into here. On the plus side, it’s really warm, so at least she stops shivering from the wind that buffed against them as they dashed across the rooftops. Ducking under a hanging tapestry, weaving past stacked decorative bowls, and finally hopping over what looked to be a massive bear, Anko makes it to their bed, a round thing with drapes and gauze dripping from the ceiling. Sakura is carefully tucked into the middle, and Anko curls around her in a way that should be anatomically improbable.

Sakura is about to learn that Anko is capable of impossible things very quickly.

“So! Now that we’re all comfortable and shit- I’m Anko and your new sister! Feeling like a they today, so let’s stick with that, hm? You can still call me big sis though, don’t you worry your cute little head, ha!”

Three heads pop out of their sleeve. One is greying, with wrinkles around the eyes and half a front tooth, visible when they yawn. Another is polished to perfection, an iridescent gleam and a pretty purple bow tied around their neck. The final is tiny, with the biggest eyes and a nervous disposition, tongue flicking out with agitation. Also, they’re all snakes.

“I’m a summoner too!” Anko continues, “We’re reptilian bros, like, how fucking cool is that? These are my main girls, she her for the lot of them, and they’re called Mochi, Mango and Mouse.”

Sakura has only a vague idea who has what name, but she still weakly waves her hand and they sort of shimmy back so it’ll probably be fine.

“Fucking idiots up top didn’t want me to meet you, y’know? Said a bunch of crap about how I’ll scare you off and how the snakes and crocodiles might react negatively or whatever- like, are they my summons or theirs? Jerks.”

“Anko, we’re still not sure if the crocodiles have forgiven-“

“Whatever! It’s a new century people, move on already! We’re going to be best friends, no stupid elders telling us what to do, spirit or human. You agree with me, _right_ Sakura-chan?”

She thinks she breaks something from nodding so fast, but Anko beams back at her so she’s dodged a kunai there.

“You need to start stocking up on thermals, y’hear?” Anko suddenly mutters, reaching over and dumping another quilt on top of them both. “As a reptile summoner, I’m the best bitch to go to for information about all the stuff your body is going to go through these next few weeks. Your ability to regulate temperature is going to be all over the place until it finally finds a happy balance, so prepare yourself for potential pneumonia. You’ll deal with hotter temperatures better, but colder ones aren’t going to register until you’ve got limbs falling off and shit.”

“You’ll probably get sharper teeth!” The small one chirps, having made herself a home around Sakura’s wrist. She thinks this one is Mochi? “Anko-chan got their fangs in pretty quickly, but crocodiles don’t have fangs, do they? Ooh, you’ll probably be regrowing teeth constantly; I remember someone mentioning that to me aaages ago.”

“Stomach aches!” Anko adds abruptly, “Tons of them, makes you wish you’re six-feet under. A hot-water bottle is going to be your saviour here, so definitely get one of those too! By the end, I ended up being able to eat anything though, so tough them out. Even poisons don’t really have the same effect which is _super_ useful if you want to be a kunoichi.”

“You’re already developing your improved night-vision I see,” The old one tags on, “Better add some sunglasses to you list as well, little crocodile. The light-sensitivity is going to be a bitch and a half to deal with.”

“What Mouse said,” Mango smirks, “It’ll all regulate itself by the end, but these changes aren’t no joke. They’re going to make puberty look like a cakewalk.”

Is this common with all summoners, Sakura wonders. It’s only when everyone turns to look at her does she realise she said that out loud. Hey, she got her voice back!

“Yup,” Anko nods, “Except some get it better than others. A lot of it also depends on your bond with you summons; I’ve heard crap about summoners getting extra little features years into their contract. It’s fascinating stuff, y’know, for nerds. All that matters in the end is the edge it gives you over all the other chumps trying to kill you.”

Well, this explains quite a bit. It’s a lot to sort through, but it’s all clearly advice and Sakura isn’t dumb- she’s not going to ignore it. Judging from the way Anko has started braiding her hair, this also isn’t going to be the last time she sees them, either. The three snakes have started softly conversing with each other, sensing that Sakura really can’t digest any more words, and it’s weirdly nice, and probably the best result for a kidnapping. They aren’t even trying to sell or torture her; it’s something her Academy teachers always said kidnappers do.

She even starts to believe she can get some sleep here, when Kakashi decides to appear out of nowhere, bringing a terrible aura of danger. Between one blink and the next, she’s behind his back with an angry Ikki filling the room, mouth open and teeth bared.

“Sakura-chan, why is it the moment I decide to stop being emotionally distant do you disappear on me?” Kakashi asks, tone suspiciously light.

“Snakes!” Ikki snarls, preventing her from defending herself. “I knew I smelt your stench around here. Sana-hime hasn’t forgotten!”

“What the fuck?” Anko hisses, their three summons rearing up and spitting venom. They have their hands around a pair of kunai, but after recognising Kakashi they’ve lowered their stance to something less aggressive. They haven’t put their weapons away though, and so hasn’t her teacher.

“We’re not part of that!” Mango hastily explains, “The snake who did that heinous act is part of the grand council, we’re part of the revolt!”

That brings Ikki down from his righteous fury. “You swear allegiance to the Revolution?”

“We swear, crocodile,” Mouse intones with a healthy amount of weight, “The kyodaija who performed the wedge between us will die a horrible death. Chikafusa, may his eyes shrivel and tail be cut off, _will_ be held accountable for the death and unjustified consumption of Sana-hime’s child.”

“Holy shit,” Anko interrupts. “You didn’t tell me _that_ was why the crocodiles might’ve had their knickers in a twist!”

“We would’ve told you if you just stopped for a second!” Mochi bemoans, “You know we get all caught up in your energy, it’s hard to be the voice of reason when you’re in that kind of mood!”

“That doesn’t explain why you took Sakura-chan, Anko,” Kakashi bites out.

“I just decided it was about time I met her, is all!”

“Well, it was a bad time!”

“Hey!” Sakura shouts. The room instantly goes quiet, and she has a weird sense of Deja vu from another person’s perspective. “No fighting. Anko is cool, their summons is cool, and no one is going to be mad anymore, ok?”

Anko’s the first to sheath their weapons, then Kakashi. The snakes drop into a more relaxed pose, and Ikki squints sceptically, but subsides.

“Thank you,” Sakura breathes, magnanimously. “it’s been a really long day and I… I think I need to get some sleep. But, um. Can I stay at one of your places? I don’t want to go back to my parents, they’ll just go on a whole rant about how ninja are evil.”

“Your parent’s sound like cunts.” Anko says blandly.

Kakashi shoots a horrified look at them and claps his hands around Sakura’s ears. Which is obviously too late, but Sakura is fine with letting him think she didn’t hear.

“So, Sakura-chan’s not staying here, that’s for sure.”

“What! She’s already here, pack it up Kakashi and get off your high-horse.”

“You’re literally swearing in front of a child.”

“And I’ll continue to do so, bitch!”

“C’mon Ikki-san let’s get out of here.”

“Oh no you don’t, you put my little sis down right now!”

“She’s not related to you!”

“Your mom!”

Sakura yawns and drops herself over Kakashi’s back. She finally drifts off to her teacher and her sister arguing, Ikki not-interrogating the snakes as they carefully reply, and the acceptance that she’ll probably wake up with an awful crick in her neck. It’s an easy sacrifice to make.

\---

She wakes up somewhere completely unfamiliar. As in, doesn’t even smell familiar kind of unfamiliar. She panics, because what if it was all a dream? What if she already left Konoha, and is in an inn now and on her way to being the world’s first summoner who _lost her summons-_

“Kid, stop thinking. You’re safe.” Ikki grunts.

His voice cuts through her fear like a hot knife does to butter. She sinks back into the bed she’s on, and blindly reaches out a hand, Ikki somehow reading her mind and pressing his head across it.

Sakura takes a moment to wait for her heart to stop racing. “Where am I?” She eventually croaks out.

“Idiot one and idiot two couldn’t decide on which place to leave you at, so they went to an unaffiliated third party. Didn’t really catch his name, but he let you in, which matters more.”

“Oh. That’s… convoluted.”

“Turns out they both have a stubborn streak a mile wide,” Ikki says, “It was the only compromise they could make. Should’ve seen the face on your new host, he looked ready to murder them both.”

Sakura mumbles something to show she’s listening but she’s more preoccupied with huddling over Ikki and keeping him close to her chest. He’s doing that strange purring thing again, which is doing wonders on her nerves so there’s no complaints from her, and she almost ends up asleep again when the door to her room opens.

It takes her a moment to understand the features of his face, especially with his hair down, but when she sorts it out she can’t believe it. “Iruka-sensei?”

“Sakura-chan, good morning!” Iruka softly smiles, “I hope you had a good rest.”

“Er- yes, I did,” She says bashfully, “Thank you for your hospitality, I’m so sorry for the intrusion-“

“Nonsense! Don’t worry about it,” He soothes. “I’m going to start on breakfast soon, ok? Just wanted to know what you want to eat.”

Sakura stutters out a plain dish so he doesn’t have to go and do more than what he’s already done, but the tilt of his jaw implies that he’s going to make a meal fit for a daimyo anyways. He offers her the chance to leave the room whenever she’s ready, and that the food will be done in twenty minutes.

As soon as the door closes, Sakura sends Ikki a bewildered look, who shoots back a pair of raised eyebrows. Or at least the crocodile equivalent of them.

“He’s a lot different around children,” He muses, “Would’ve thought he was divine retribution itself last night.”

“What, Iruka-sensei?” Sakura boggles. “He’s like, the nicest teacher ever! Maybe they woke him up or something? I guess when someone misbehaved he could get kind of scary, but not that much.”

Ikki shrugs noncommittedly and folds himself into a crocodile loaf, closing his eyes. Sakura huffs, but continues to hold him, scanning the room and noting the clean clothes folded on a nearby chair. It’s so bizarre that she’s in her Academy teacher’s home, she never really considered him to actually have a life outside of teaching. She always assumed he just ceased to exist the moment the school closed.

Wait… does this mean that he knows both Anko _and_ Kakashi? How?!

She prods Ikki for an answer, and unexpectedly he has one. “Works Mission Desk part-time. That’s where all shinobi go to pick up jobs to do and mark them as complete to get their pay. I asked because I wasn’t exactly going to let my summoner just sleep in a random stranger’s house. That’s weird.”

“So they took me to their co-worker’s house?”

“Nah, Anko takes him out drinking sometimes and your teacher is definitely nursing a massive crush on the poor guy. They’re definitely friends.”

“Woah. Freaky.”

“Tell me about it.”

They make eye contact. It holds for a beat, then they’re laughing, Sakura with a breathy wheeze and Ikki with stifled barks. She’s got her pillow wrapped around her face to try and stop, and when her humour has died down into a cramp in her hip, she’s so happy she can’t believe it’s real.

She goes to say this out loud, yet Ikki’s eyes stop her. She sobers quickly, and waits for him to say what’s on his mind.

The most sincere, heartfelt apology spills from him next. She cries three separate times as he explains his hesitance to step in, how he inexplicably became a bystander to her continued abuse, all out of a misguided attempt to assess the situation and make the appropriate attack, completely overlooking the fact that she is a child with her own sense of identity and not a pawn in a bigger game. He’s old, he tells her, unused to time passing so quickly and the idea of fighting out-right goes against his ambush predator instincts, but he should’ve acted sooner.

He won’t let it get as bad ever again, this he promises.

She doesn’t blame him for anything, but he won’t hear it. She tries to highlight how it was him who made the days bearable, but still he resists. He was the adult in the situation, and thus it was his responsibility to be the adult. He failed, with only words instead of actions to speak for how he’s changed.

She can’t hate him, but this does make her love him more. She’s so glad to have met Ikki and wouldn’t want to know a universe where she never did, because nothing could compare.

Seriously, Ikki is the best.

Once the tears have run dry, it’s been nearly an hour and Sakura is hungry. “… Wanna go make fun of Kakashi?”

“You don’t need to ask me twice,” Ikki rumbles back.

Sharing a grin, Sakura quickly shoves on the new clothes, rubs her eyes one more time, and carefully leaves the room with Ikki at his usual place on her shoulders. The sight that greets her is magnificent.

Anko is trying to shove one of their snakes down Iruka’s top for some reason, a kunai clamped between their teeth as they tries to wrangle the wriggling creature so that it’ll slip past the hand firmly anchored around the back of Iruka’s neck. Iruka himself is desperately trying to tap out, whilst simultaneously choking Kakashi with his thighs. Kakashi looks like New Years has come early and yet is also straining his reach so that he can hit Anko in the ankles with a senbon so they’ll stop. Pakkun watches heedless of the chaos, with the rest of the pack unabashedly snooping around Iruka’s stuff. Bisuke has a pair of pants on their head and Akino has a mouthful of shuriken. Anko catches sight of Bisuke, nearly chokes on their kunai before spitting it out with such force it ricochets around the room, shaving off a centimetre of Kakashi’s hair, denting a pan, nicking a photo frame, until it finally embeds itself two inches to the left of Sakura’s head.

That’s when they notice her.

“Sakura-chan!” Iruka exclaims, a bit shrill. Clearing his throat, he tries again. “Sakura-chan, ah, breakfast is still in the oven. Do you want it now?”

“Uh,” Sakura mouths, “If that’s not too much bother?”

“No bother at all!” His teeth are very white as he elbows Anko into submission and gracefully slips away from Kakashi, who looks instantly sad at the loss of contact.

Anko, rubbing what must be a bruised rib, looks less sad. “You feeling better now, squirt?”

“Yes, thank you,” Sakura warmly smiles.

“Fuck yeah sis,” Anko approves, “Todays definitely a she her day since we’re going to buy all that crap we talked about yesterday- no buts! It’s not stuff you should wait to buy, and I want dango later.”

“Shopping just feels better when you’re a she her!” Mochi jumps in, not at all perturbed by the failed invasion of Iruka’s shirt.

“Don’t take too long,” Kakashi states with an air of indifference, “I’ve got to go over Sakura’s new training schedule with her later.”

“ _My_ improved schedule, right Kakashi-san?” Iruka corrects sweetly whilst waving a cutting knife at him. “Your first one would have killed her, and the second one was so light a toddler could do it! All that work I had to do checking over your plans better not go to waste.”

“Of course, Iruka-sensei,” He nods, looking like a besotted fool. Iruka obliviously misses the heart eyes Kakashi is projecting with every stolen glance he sends Iruka’s way.

“We’ll also have to have a discussion regarding your future living arrangements,” Anko tacks on. “Kami I sounded like a fop when I said that, ugh. Just- it’s clear that your parents aren’t being too cool right now, so since you _are_ technically Kakashi’s apprentice, you can move out. Only if you want too though, duh.”

Sakura’s sharp inhale can’t have gone missed, but every adult in the room pretends not to hear it. “Where- where would I live?”

They all look at each other like they didn’t know they could get this far. “We’ll have a look at Kakashi’s apartment first, I guess?” Iruka coughs.

“I… don’t even know if I have a spare bedroom. But, if you want to stay with me, I’m sure we can figure out a system.”

“Well, she sure as shit can’t live with me,” Anko proclaims. Sakura recoils back and Anko hastily rectifies, “Not that I don’t want you or anything! It’s more like I’ve got poisons stored everywhere and I really don’t want to accidentally kill you before you’re, like, five.”

“I turned eight last month,” Sakura points out, but the corners of her mouth are curved upwards.

“Semantics!”

Iruka takes the time to place a full plate in front of her, with a bowl of congee and a glass of yogurt drink. It’s strawberry flavoured, her favourite.

“By the way Koko-sama wants you to summon her soon,” Ikki throws out. “Your chakra levels are still too low to actually summon any of us, but we can do the bulk of the work as long as you open the gate.”

Sakura’s pause of surprise allows Ikki to swoop in and steal a piece of toast. She doesn’t mind, but Iruka gives Ikki a reprimanding look, just like the one he uses when he catches a kid sleeping in class. It’s hilarious, and Sakura hides her giggle by taking a drink.

“Your day is jam-packed full of crap then, squirt,” Anko comments, “So eat up! First ninja rule is to always have a hearty meal, otherwise your body won’t have enough energy!”

“Who’s the teacher here?” Kakashi grumbles.

“If we’re looking at this from a professional standpoint, I’m the only one here who’s passed the teacher exam,” Iruka says mildly. Both Anko and Kakashi whip around to look at him like they both don’t understand why he hasn’t left his own house. “What? You both involved me into- well, whatever this is, and I’m not going to let my best student be given a bad education just because you two don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Softie,” Anko heckles, “But screw it, why not?”

“No complaints here,” Kakashi adds with a surprisingly straight face, until Sakura remembers he wears a mask.

“So! Let’s get this party started, Sakura-chan!”

“Let her finish her food!”

“She can eat on the way!”

“No, Anko!”

\---

The day passes like this-

It’s a small wonder that they manage to get ready to buy everything she needs to weather the upcoming storm of adjustments. It’s just her, Ikki and Anko at first because Iruka and Kakashi really do need to check if she can actually stay at Kakashi’s place. If it isn’t good enough you can continue to stay at my place, Iruka had reassured, so Sakura is safe with the knowledge that she doesn’t have to confront her parents any time soon.

With that weight off her back, she was able to focus on making sure Anko doesn’t buy out whole stores because she thinks Sakura requires ten different hot water bottles because look, Sakura, they each have different patterns! Ikki is no help as he _agrees_ with Anko; at one point he conjures up a wallet fat with coin so there really isn’t anything stopping them from filling Sakura’s arms with beautifully crafted sunglasses and the fluffiest blankets possible. It’s fun, but it also makes all the vendors in the area swarm them like flies on honey. Sakura escapes the Merchant District with the mentioned items and a chain of teething rings, ten swimsuits because the seller cut them a deal, three boxes filled with cherry jam, five thick jumpers, three feather-stuffed coats better suited for Ice-country, a set of hair pins that Anko didn’t waste any time sticking into Sakura’s hair, a large kunai plushie and a sparkling new training kit bristling with sharp weapons for her to learn.

Anko leaves the district with so much dango, it makes even Sakura feel ill just smelling it.

They bump into Kakashi with his ninken and they all ignore how it wasn’t a coincidence. He whispers something to Anko which makes her cackle, then leave with all their purchases and a jaunty good luck squirt! He then takes them to their usual training ground, number seven, sits her down and hashes out her revitalised schedule.

It’s disgusting. If Anko’s army of dango made her want to puke, this regime will. She can barely believe Iruka made it- clearly this is the work of a true sadist. The chill that made its way down her spine all those days ago resurfaces with a vengeance, like it was dormant until this very moment awakened it.

Gripping the scroll that’ll seal her fate, she knows this will either make or break the future she has as a shinobi. And Sakura is done breaking.

They try out a few stretches as well as some breathing exercises until Ikki decides to sweep her away to call Koko. Kakashi hovers in the background as she bites her thumb, copies the same hand signs she once used, and wills her chakra to work.

It does and Koko appears with a flood of tears. Everyone scatters back, but Sakura opens her arms and allows Koko to squeeze her, demanding to know why it took so long for her to get here and how Ikki has been keeping them up to date and does she want Koko to eat her parents because that’s no trouble at all and-

It’s a wonderful reunion. Sakura learns that Koko will be sticking around, prefers they them but likes to dip into xe xem on the occasion to shake things up, and is weirdly possessive of her as Ikki is when interacting with other summons. Listening to Koko’s barbed comments when they hear Pakkun call her kid for the first time was an experience. Kami knows what type, but she’ll definitely have to figure out some way to stop the animosity, like, first on the list. It gets mentally underlined three times when she notices Pakkun narrow his eyes and Bull huff.

Still, it’s got to be something she does later (maybe a get along shirt?) because Kakashi points out how late it’s gotten, and how they should be heading home. The thought of that grips her with terror, yet after walking down a different road to the one that leads her to her parents, the tension leaks out of her with every step. Instead, she finds herself in front of a small apartment which stinks of cleaning chemicals. Kakashi stares down at a welcome mat, obviously bought today judging by the price tag still attached, cheerfully telling them to wipe their paws. It’s bone shaped. Pakkun is the first one to use it, deliberately brushing himself off. The rest of the pack are gone, so it’s only him now, something which has calmed Koko and Ikki down tremendously.

Kakashi eventually copies Pakkun and opens the door with a greeting.

Anko ambushes him immediately, crowing about how he owes her big with how much crap she lugged around today. Sakura is lead to a leather sofa with an afghan artfully draped across it by Iruka, who doesn’t let her do anything else but sink into the cushions to take a break. Kakashi stares at the afghan like it’s the enemy which, Sakura sniffs, might be true because it does smell suspiciously of Anko. A cursory glance around shows so many knick-knacks shoved into all sorts of places that they can’t be just Kakashi’s- did they decorate whilst he was gone? It sure makes the place feel more homely, even more so due to the fact than a few things are clearly not new; were they donated by Anko like the afghan?

Watching Kakashi gently hold a small, ceramic pot filled with marbles, Sakura thinks yes. She even spots a few trinkets that must have been given by Iruka, a set of coasters with flower petals stamped into them, a small cactus in a lumpy vase. It’s ridiculously domestic, it makes the room feels loved.

Then, Sakura is gathered up by Anko and shown her room. It must be a renovated storage room; there are marks on the walls which suggest boxes used to pile there and the window is open to get the smell of cobwebs and mothballs out. However, it’s more than large enough to fit the dresser and bedframe, not to mention a pink dog-bed which is obviously for her summons. Sakura stares at the curtains- cherry blossom themed- and is struck with the realisation that it isn’t just the apartment who is loved, it’s also the people in it.

 _Sakura_ is loved. What a gift. She doesn’t even know these people, but despite that they’ve already done so much for her. They’re willing to get to know her, and for her to know them.

How can they care _so_ much.

“You like it?” Kakashi asks, leaning on the door frame. It seems like he’s accepted the way his home has been overturned on its head.

“It’s amazing,” Sakura whispers back, and runs to give him a hug. She even rocks him off his feet for a second, and it takes a shorter amount of time for him to untense and hug back.

“Where’s my hug, squirt?” Anko squarks, and is quickly given the same treatment, eliciting a grunt as Sakura barrels into her at match speed. The hug she gives Iruka is shyer as she still hasn’t gotten comfortable to the idea that he’s no longer her Academy teacher, but no less strong.

He gives her a pat on the head, a far-away look in his eyes. “Dinner’s ready, so let’s all eat, yeah?”

Over dinner she’s regaled with the tale of how they cleaned, hoovered and dusted every surface available. Anko played a big part in the layout, while Iruka made sure everything they could possibly need was there and ready to be used. Anko’s summons were the one who did the bulk of the decorating, Anko herself just sorting the furniture. They left Kakashi’s usual places for traps alone alongside his bedroom, but the bathroom and kitchen were all wiped down until you could see yourself in the shine of polish. His fridge has been restocked and his cupboards have a variety of tea, cereal and other long-life consumables. They pulled out all the stops to make this place liveable, Iruka says, a gleam to his eyes.

They’re also going to be visiting basically every day. Turns out they want to eat a slice of the pie they baked, and it’s easier to just be where Sakura is going to live than seek her out, so. It all works out in the end. Anko does try to get Kakashi to buy her more dango as payment though, which Kakashi outright denies. The resulting fight is tremendous, and Sakura watches it with cherry jam smeared on a corner of her mouth, bent double from laughter.

That night, tucked under four different quilts, Sakura asks about her parents. Her voice feels feeble, and she doesn’t like how weak it makes her sound. Kakashi doesn’t seem to mind, simply telling her that he and Iruka went to talk to them first thing in the morning. It’s all sorted now, so she doesn’t need to wonder any more.

She feels so guilty for the wave of joy that hits her. But she doesn’t say her thoughts out loud, instead gripping onto Kakashi’s shirt and burrowing into his side deep, hoping that her gratitude bleeds into his skin so he can sense just how much she appreciates what he’s done.

An arm curls around her, and maybe the sigh was from tiredness, or maybe it was the breath of a man suddenly seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn’t really matter, in the quiet dark of her new bedroom. Ikki is curled at her feet, and Koko lounges around her whole bed.

Things are looking up, and Sakura falls asleep to the sound of three sets of breathing, steady and alive.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh I was floored by the response I got for this! thank you everyone, im sending so much love your way right now hehe! for all the ppl who liked the gender stuff, I'm so happy <3
> 
> I want to add a few bits that didn't make it in the chapter:  
> \- Anko's clutter is all stuff that's either previously belonged to Orochimaru, or was given to her by them. she just couldn't throw it away, but now some of it has found a new home in Kakashi's apartment. I like to think this gives her a push in the right direction to shed her past, and all her friends end up with a donation from her. Ibiki has to get, like, at least seven vases. it's all been checked for traps ages ago, but it's still quality things, and maybe they'll make better memories hm?  
> \- Sakura's parents are painfully civilian, but this isn't a character bash! pre contract they were probably the best parental figures possible- your kid dissapearing on you for a week is pretty scary tho! I'll handle their arc with care I promise :)  
> \- real crocs aren't properly territorial unless its mating season, but since I'm def not gonna write about that I just made them possessive over very specific stuff; Sakura is a big no-go for other summons, but summoners are chill to hang around for example  
> \- the snakes being embroiled in a vicious civil war is the explanation I chose for why Anko's summons didn't dip alongside Orochimaru... lots of petty backtalk and political tomfoolery going on in their realm. dunno if I'll expand on this in the future (or with sana's poor kid) but it does tinge interactions between the summons to something a bit more frosty, yikes!  
> \- Kakashi's new doormat exists in real life and the first time Gai sees it he has a conniption and wonders if he went to the wrong door again  
> \- imagine the most bare room possible. that was Kakashi's apartment before it's makeover. Anbu Kakashi was not a happy Kakashi :(  
> \- I know I mentioned the infamous icha-book last chapter but because he's recently outta Anbu, the crippling porn addiction turned crutch turned subtle diversion tactic hasn't developed as fast. Iruka would literally kill him if he saw him reading that rn and he's probably still in that embarrasment phase of liking romance in the first place... we'll see how long that lasts lmao  
> \- Iruka is really good at cleaning because of all the pranks he used to pull when he was younger. he's also really good at being a mother-hen due to working with itty bitty kids and is also a down-low genius at seals but shh dw about that
> 
> oops I feel like I put a bit too much here- is this something that you'd like to read or should I keep these notes short? I'm also going to tentatively ask what you guys liked about this so far and want to see more of in the future; no promises tho :} 
> 
> drop a kudos, comments feed the machine, and stay safe everyone!


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